Turkish jets hit PKK hideouts in Iraq

Turkish warplanes have launched more air strikes in northern Iraq destroying a bridge, as Ankara pushes forward with its campaign against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Press TV reported.

The fighter jets targeted the Sidakan district of Arbil province in Iraq's northeastern mountainous region, which is seen as a hotbed for Kurdish militant activity.

A bridge was destroyed and several villages were bombarded during the attack, Aswat al-Iraq news agency quoted a security force as saying on Friday.

No casualties have been reported yet.

The new air strikes on PKK hideouts come as the Kurdish militants stepped up their attacks on Turkish targets, killing over 40 soldiers over the past few months alone.

Analysts say the rise in attacks come amid heightened tensions between Tel Aviv and Ankara, over Israel's May 31 assault on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla, which left nine Turkish citizens dead.

The militants launch their attacks from the Qandil Mountains -- the scene of Israeli activity -- in the autonomous areas under the control of Iraq's Kurdistan region.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community. The group took up arms in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives so far.